Bright Horizons recognised in UK's Best Workplaces for Development™ 2024 List!
The Great Place To Work® accolades continue for Bright Horizons as the company has now ranked 18th out of 50 listed companies in the Super Large size category 2024 UK’s Best Workplaces for Development™ List. This latest list recognises companies making employee development a key part of their company culture.
This prominent placing sees Bright Horizons as the top education provider on the UK’s Best Workplaces for Development™ List and officially acknowledges the ongoing commitment that Bright Horizons has to development, innovation and employee growth. It builds on the UK’s Best Workplaces™ 2024 recognition by Great Place To Work® that the company received in March, marking its 19th year in a row on the UK’s Best Workplaces™ List and coming in at 13th place.
Ros Marshall, UK Managing Director at Bright Horizons, said: “We are so proud to receive this recognition. Our HEART principles: Honesty, Excellence, Accountability, Respect, and Teamwork help us to create a unique relationship with our colleagues, which sets us apart as an employer of choice. We listen to our workforce and continue to learn from each other. We offer a comprehensive induction process for all team members, followed by an ongoing talent development plan tailored to individual needs and aspirations. In particular, our apprentice programme, with the capacity to support over 500 new practitioners each year, not only benefits Bright Horizons and our people but also the broader early years sector. We invest in our colleagues’ professional development through continuous learning opportunities and offer a clear career path that allows everyone to expand their skills, take on new challenges, and achieve their goals.”
Everyone working at Bright Horizons has the opportunity to suggest ideas for improvement. The company conducts regular colleague experience surveys and holds a quarterly ‘Be Heard’ Employee Forum. Decisions over the past two years on investment in salaries, the introduction of mental health ambassadors, talent and leadership development programmes, travel season ticket loans, and new lighter summer uniforms have been driven by employee feedback from the various experience surveys and forums.
Janine Leightley, HR Director at Bright Horizons said: “Our objective is to lead the sector in retaining exceptional talent and provide a colleague experience that positively impacts our service to children, parents, and clients through things such as rewards and recognition, as well as the wellbeing of each unique individual that works at Bright Horizons.
“We have significantly transformed our approach to sector-leading professional development and training, ensuring comprehensive support for our colleagues through diverse learning methods. We use classroom sessions, online courses, and e-learning resources, and have external approval from respected organisations like the CPD Certification Service and ILM Assured Coaching. We first had our Fundamentals of Coaching course assured by the ILM in January 2020, and have since had three more programmes assured, including The Progression of Coaching Skills, The Establishment of Coaching Skills' and last year The Leaders’ Talent Programme.”
Benedict Gautrey, Managing Director of Great Place To Work® UK, said: “Employee training and development isn’t just about teaching employees to do their jobs. It’s about showing employees they are valued and that there is a path of progression available. When employees don’t see opportunity, they don’t bring their best selves to work and productivity and retention will be adversely impacted.
“Employee development is future-focused and evidences a commitment to employees’ long-term growth. It ensures your people feel valued, and feeds into the overall company culture and strategy. Each year, we recognise organisations whose thriving workplace cultures are enabling both their people and their business to flourish. Opportunities for learning and development are a crucial element of this success, which is why we’re so thrilled to be recognising this year, for the very first time, the UK’s Best Workplaces for Development.
“Congratulations to Bright Horizons for being recognised on our 2024 list of UK’s Best Workplaces for Development."
To compile the UK’s Best Workplaces for Development List, Great Place To Work® reviewed each company’s culture, benefits, approach to leadership and development, alongside anonymous responses from employees. These data insights are then used to benchmark each company's employee value proposition against the culture employees actually experience. Only the businesses who achieve the highest scores after evaluation receive Best Workplaces™ status.
Feeling inspired to develop? Further information on great roles at Bright Horizons can be found by visiting its careers website.
